Client:
Away Resorts
Brief:
Creature Encounters has been contracted to create, rebuild, manage, and maintain new assets for Away Resorts since 2020. During that time we have supported Away Resorts in their ambition to offer the world’s leading character experiences through the development of their costume and puppet characters Bear, Lucy & Scratch. We're very proud to play a continuing part in the legacy of this leading brand.
For this project, Away Resorts Creative Director Max Barraclough worked with us to transform the company’s brand ambassador, Bear, into a world-class character experience. The focus was on making the suit as performable as possible, reducing weight, increasing movement and improving the overall aesthetic quality of the character.
Once the initial suit was signed off after testing across the estate, we replicated a further two Bears and supervised the audition and training process for the puppeteers.
Debrief:
The Bears are the most successful characters we have created to date. Lightweight, highly performable rigging contained within a robust foam and fur skin.
Specifications:
Multi-directional head
Opening and closing mouth
Blinking eyes
Interchangeable arms
Concealed viewing panels
Build time:
*Three months
Testimonial
“I think these are better than the original characters.”
-Max Barraclough, Creative Director, Away Resorts
*Time frame for fabrication is always flexible/negotiable dependent on available budget
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss bespoke puppet characters please call Michael on +44 (0)780 12139 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Atomic London / Greater Anglia Trains.
Brief:
To celebrate the UK's largest-ever rail revamp, Greater Anglia called on Atomic, London, to create a new brand icon. They made a polygon hare, embodying the speed and grace of the modern Pendolino train whilst reflecting the natural history of the fens. Atomic, London approached Creature Encounter to realise their icon as an interactive "Warhorse" style puppet for audience engagement at live events. Our brief was to translate the animator's 3d reference into a 3m tall puppet. Recognisable as the brand icon, with a similar movement language and able to be posed when not in use.
Debrief:
Any large scale puppet has three primary factors to consider, a strong aesthetic, credible movement and performer concealment. Accepting the performer's visibility freed us to focus exclusively on the mechanics, in effect replicating the skeletal structure of a hare in hard-wearing super-light materials. This animating structure gave the character a wonderful kinetic life, which delivered instant brand recognition when clad in the signature polygon aesthetic.
Specifications:
Visible performers
Full movement vocabulary
Lightweight
Mechanical ear movement
Cable controlled sniff
Build Time:
Seven weeks
Testimonial:
“The client was very happy with the event and the finish of the character.”
-Reluca Anastasiu, Atomic London
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality large scale puppet characters, please call Michael on 0780 1239756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Away Resorts
Brief:
Creature Encounters has been contracted to maintain, rebuild, manage, and create new assets for Away Resorts since 2022. During that time we have supported Away Resorts in their ambition to offer the worlds leading character experiences, through the development of their costume and puppet characters Bear, Lucy & Scratch. We're very proud to play a continuing part in the legacy of this leading brand.
For this project we were asked to replicate multiple copies of existing puppet characters Scratch & Lucy based on Away Resorts IP.
Debrief:
With puppets originally created by former Henson’s Creature Shop employees, this was a fascinating opportunity to deconstruct their work in order to replicate it. In doing so we were able to absorb much of the institutional knowledge embedded in the original characters, whilst making our own adjustments where appropriate. This was the first project where we used 3-d design and printing in order to exactly replicate the characters eyes.
Specifications:
Puppets had to match existing characters asthetically
Puppets had to offer performers continuity in terms of fit
Build time:
Three months
Testimonial
“I think these are better than the original characters.”
-Max Barraclough, Creative Director, Away Resorts
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss bespoke puppet characters please call Michael on +44 (0)780 12139 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Chris Crowton / Animal Madness Ltd
Brief:
Animal Madness creates performances designed to connect children to the wonders of the natural world, crucially without harming animals in the process. They wanted to add to their animatronic menagerie a realistic ape suit, capable of withstanding the close inspection of children during their interactive shows.
Debrief:
Sculpted and cast latex head, hands and feet were augmented by a manipulated foam waddle and chest piece. These bespoke elements were blended together using 12 “ speciality fur.
Specifications:
Roaming character
Multi-directional head
Hyper-realistic
Build Time:
Four weeks
Testimonial:
“I am pleased to say that it has been everything I wanted it to be and more. We use it in a very powerful section of the show highlighting the work of a charity we work with The Orangutan Project. It has created a huge response from families to help with sponsorship and conservation in general and I don’t believe this section of the show would have half the response and impact it does without the amazing work you put in with the costume. It has visited a children's hospice and put smiles on faces and overall I couldn't be happier.”
-Craig Crowton
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Vectis Ventures / Robin Hill Country Parks
Brief:
At the centre of Robin Hill’s Christmas spectacular, Polar, the park knew they wanted an iconic, merchandisable character. They approached Creature Encounter to deliver two fully mobile realistic polar bears, a mother and her cub.
Debrief:
We used rapid patterning techniques to create the characters in lightweight, durable foams. Then working into these forms developed the mechanical structure to animate these enormous beasts.
Specifications:
Walk around costumes
Moving mouths
Closing eyes
Moving ears
Sniffing mechanism.
Build time:
Six weeks
Testimonial
“The polar bears were a divine focal point to our event, POLAR. Our customers were absolutely enchanted by these beautiful creatures and were quite emotional as a result! They brought a completely charming aspect to our picturesque park, and the narrative will continue to develop for future POLAR events. Thank you once again, Creature Encounter!”
-Verity Godwin, Vectis Ventures
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality realistic creature effects, please call Michael on +44 (0)780 12139 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
GyoungJae Lee, Seoul, South Korea
Brief:
Animal suits with expressive masks and bespoke costuming.
Debrief:
The masks: sculpted in clay, cast in plaster and reproduced in latex: had fur lain over their rubber forms and exquisitely graded. The blend between actor and mask was pleasing blurred to create truly polished looking creatures.
Specifications:
Bespoke costuming
Expressive masks
Tail for fox
Build Time:
Five weeks
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44 (0)780 1239 756 for an informal chat.
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Lakeside Arts, Nottingham
Brief:
Lakeside Arts educational department wanted to promote their exhibition Dinosaurs of China. They created a crowdfunding campaign for the construction of a walk-around puppet character for visitor interaction. The design of the character was based on new species discoveries documented by the exhibition.
Debrief:
We used trimmed peacock feathers to create the creatures mane and tail, punching them into a foam rubber skin.
Specifications:
Moving mouth
Moving brow
False arm illusion
Feathers
Build Time:
Three weeks
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Vectis Ventures / Blackgang Chine
Brief:
Black Gang Chine: land of Imagination, the oldest theme park in the United Kingdom wanted a new ambassador character, to star in shows and guest interactions within their park.
Debrief:
Cedric is the largest solo performer supported rig we have created and his scale to weight ratio was a challenge. We used inflatable elements to push the scale of the character to the limits whilst keeping the performer safe. We are big fans of his wonderfully textured and tactile skin and distinct colour palette.
Specifications:
Walk around costume
Multidirectional head
Opening mouth
Moving brow
Onboard smoke system
Onboard sound system.
Build Time:
Seven weeks
Testimonial:
“Thank you so so much for the fabulous Cedric! We are over the moon to have him.”
-Verity Godwin, Blackgang Chine.
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality large scale animatronic fantasy characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
Client:
Big Brum Theatre in Education
Brief:
Chris Coopers Minotaur is a dark reworking of the original Greek mythology. Big Brum wanted to use the work of artist Beth Carter as a reference with its rich patina of oxidising iron ore as a creative leaping off point.
Debrief:
A metallic finish disguises an incredibly lightweight and comfortable mask
Specifications:
Lightweight & comfortable
Appearance of rust & metal
Build Time:
Five days
Testimonial:
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality mask characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Vectis Ventures / Black Gang Chine
Brief:
The park's beloved dodo characters were entrusted to our designers to realise as interactive puppet characters. Because these characters roam between various themed zones within the park, essential to the brief were costume elements that would allow the dodos to blend into Cowboy Town, the Pirate Galleon and the Fairy Fling.
Debrief:
Concealing the upper torso of the performers inside the birds travelling packs helped to lose the human form within these petite costumes. The weight of the puppeteer's rig in the front of the costumes demanded that the performer lean slightly back for counterbalance, further helping the illusion.
Specifics:
Walk around costume
Multidirectional head
Moving mouth
Eyeblink
Build Time:
Six weeks
Testimonials:
“A massive, MASSIVE thank you from us all here. The Dodos excelled expectation and will be a fabulous addition to our offering here at Blackgang Chine.”
-Verity Godwin, Blackgang Chine
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality large scale puppet characters, please call Michael on +44 (0)780 1239 756 for an informal chat.
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Aldour Events / Remal International Festival
Brief:
Remal International Festival needed world-class entertainment solutions celebrating A Thousand and One Nights for a broad international demographic. In response, we created four animatronic puppet characters augmented with onboard sound systems and music. The creatures and their performers were delivered to Kuwait on time and within budget, where they resided for seven weeks performing three times daily without malfunction.
Debrief:
Nomadica drew on the Bedouin roots of the host culture, infused with the magical and animistic elements found within the Arabian Nights. The client's brief challenged Creature Encounter for our take on traditional moving statues; in response, we created these slow, silent giants. The Jin had internal smoke systems that allowed an eerie mist to escape from their heads.
Specifications:
Roaming characters
Multi-directional heads
Moving mouths
Onboard sound systems & microphones
Build Time:
Seven weeks
Testimonial:
“Creature Encounter designed and built our characters to the highest standards flew them across the world with a team of performers and delivered exceptional performances for seven weeks. I cannot recommend them enough.”
-Yousef Aldour, Aldour Events
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Away Resorts
Brief:
Creature Encounters has been contracted to create, rebuild, manage, and maintain new assets for Away Resorts since 2020. During that time we have supported Away Resorts in their ambition to offer the world’s leading character experiences through the development of their costume and puppet characters Bear, Lucy & Scratch. We're very proud to play a continuing part in the legacy of this leading brand.
For this project, Away Resorts Creative Director Max Barraclough asked us to develop 5 Little Bears for there pre-school audiences.
Debrief:
Lucy’s Little Bears were pre-existing character assets developed by a previous puppet builder. We replicated there original work with some material tweaks to create a more vibrant colour palette and increase the heads range of motion.
Specifications:
Multi-directional head
Rod controlled arm
Build time:
*Two months
*Time frame for fabrication is always flexible/negotiable dependent on available budget
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss bespoke puppet characters please call Michael on +44 (0)780 12139 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Aldour Events / Remal International Festival
Brief:
Remal International Festival needed world-class entertainment solutions celebrating A Thousand and One Nights for a broad international demographic. In response, we created four animatronic puppet characters augmented with onboard sound systems and music. The creatures and their performers were delivered to Kuwait on time and within budget, where they resided for seven weeks performing three times daily without malfunction.
Debrief:
Prince Amir & the Camel provided a large scale spectacle and walkabout whilst celebrating the camel as the host nations national animal. Constant connections were made between the event and the visiting public by the talkative Meerkat, who espoused his take on the Arabian Nights and the important if unrecognised role he had played in the tales!
Specifications:
Roaming characters
Multi-directional heads
Moving mouths
Onboard sound systems & microphones
Build Time:
Seven weeks
Testimonial:
“The camel was the star of the festival!”
-Yousef Aldour, Aldour Events
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Vectis Ventures / Robin Hill
Brief:
Designed to perform within their Woodland Theatre, as well as for guest interactions. Robin Hill approached Creature Encounter to design and build their Squirrel Bear characters as hand puppets.
Debrief:
Lightweight, highly performable puppets with simple mechanisms to meet the production deadlines.
Specifications:
Child - simple hand puppet
Adult - Trigger operated mouth, eyelid and wrists
Build Time:
Four weeks
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44 (0)780 1239 756 for an informal chat.
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
Client:
Blue Orange Theatre
Brief:
An easy application mask that mimicked the properties of a prosthetic for theatrical use.
Debrief:
A simple but effective solution. Convincing to the audience and easy for the actor to apply themselves.
Specifications:
Sculpted - moulded - cast
Build Time:
1- 2 Weeks
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality mask or prosthetic characters, please call Michael on +44 (0)780 1239 756
Client:
Blackgang Chine: Land of Imagination
Brief:
The worlds oldest theme park Blackgang Chine, based on the Isle of White, commissioned four prehistoric characters for their interactive dinosaur shows, Restricted Area 5. The brief called for two walkable characters and two wearable babies.
Debrief:
All characters featured latex skins, moving mouths and eyes, as well as onboard sound systems that allowed them to chirp, roar, snuffle and snort. We created false arm jackets for the keepers performing the babies to extend the illusion of a living, breathing dinosaur. For the bipedal walker dinos, we built an internal marionette rig housed within the chest cavity of the puppets
Specifications:
Babies: Moving mouths - blinking eyes - flapping wings - wearable
Walkers: Moving mouths- blinking eyes - bipedal walking
Build Time:
Six weeks
Testimonials:
“Our dino babies have been getting a fantastic reaction across the park. They complement our existing characters well and the performers have loved getting to work with them.”
-Verity Godwin, Vectis Ventures
If you are planning something similar or would like to discuss high-quality puppet characters, please call Michael on +44(0)780 1239 756
We are a Creative Practical Effects Company specialising in Character Creation, Creature Effects, Puppets & Masks, UK.
Made with love.
